Ore reclaiming machine



L. C. WREN ORE REGLAIMING MACHINE July 1, 1947;

Filed Dec. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORIVGY July 1, 1947:. c. WREN I2,423,279

'ORE RECLAIMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGZ July1, c. W N

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINE Filed Dec. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ANFNTORZoo/5 ankle;

July 1, 1947. W E 423,279

ORE RECLAIMING MACQIN'E' Filed Dec. 29, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.lav/5 4075x 55 Wife-N A T DEM/5) Patented July 1, 1947 ORE RECLAIMINGMACHINE Louis Charles Wren, Dartford, England, assignor to The GeneralElectric Company, Limited,

London, England Application December 29, 1944, Serial No. 570,343 InGreat Britain October 20, 1943 8 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for reclaiming ore and like materialof the type comprising a bridge carried at each end on a bogie adaptedto run on a rail (or rails), the distance between the bogies beinggreater than the width of the pile against which the machine is adaptedto operate; a harrow adapted to agitate the face of the pile so as tocause the loosened material to fall into a transverse conveyor, runningalong the length of the bridge, adapted to deliver the material into afixed longitudinal conveyor by the side of the pile, the said harrow andtransverse conveyor be ing carried on the said bridge; and means, alsocarried on the said bridge, for driving the said bogies in eitherdirection along the said rails. Such machines are described in Britishpatent specification No. 534,034.

In normal operation, the bogies are driven slowly forward against thepile until all the material has been despatched by the transverseconveyor into the longitudinal conveyor and thus to the place Where thematerial is used. There should then be left a plane surface, level withthe bottom of the transverse conveyor, over which the bridge could bemoved backwards to its starting point. But it sometimes happens that thesurface left is not plane; there project from it ridges or lumps risinga few inches above the plane along which the bottom of the transverseconveyor has moved. Then, when the bridge is 1 run backwards, the saidbottom may become jammed against the said projections and the bridgebecome immovable until it is released by digging or other costly ortime-wasting operations. The object of this invention is to providemeans for decreasing the danger of such jamming.

According to the invention in a machine of the type specified, the saidharrow and transverse conveyor are rotatable about a horizontal axisfixed relative to the said bogies, and means are provided for rotatingthem about the said axis so as to raise the bottom of the said conveyorabove the position that it occupies in normal operation.

The bogies may be connected by a frame independent of the structure ofwhich the harrow and transverse conveyor form part. The said axis isthen part of this frame, and the said means then rotate the saidstructure relative to the said frame. But preferably the bogies areconnected only through the said structure, which then constitutes thebridge; the said means then rotate the entire bridge relative to thebogies. In this case the means for rotating the bridge may comprise apair of hydraulic rams, one of which is carried by each bogie and onwhich rests the forward side of the bridge, 1. e., the side on which theharrow and transverse conveyor are disposed; the rearward side of thebridge is then hinged to the bogies. The rams may be operated by a pumpdriven by an electric motor. Clamps, operated for example by hand wheelsand screw bolts, may be provided that hold the bridge to the bogies, or,in the first alternative, the said structure to the said frame, innormal operation and are released only when the transverse conveyor isto be raised in preparation for the movement of the machine backwards.The clamps may be ganged with a switch in the circuit of the said motor,so that the motor cannot be started, and the rams operated, until theclamps are released.

One embodiment of the preferred form of the invention will now bedescribed by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawingswhich show a reclaiming machine of the kind described in British patentspecification No. 534,034; only those parts relevant to the inventionwill be described, the rest of the machine being generally similar tothat described in the said specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a part plan at the floorof the machine,omitting the left-hand side, which is similar to the right-hand side.

Figure 2 shows an end View from the righthand side of Figure 1, butomitting the details of the transverse conveyor and harrow.

Figure 3 shows a section, at right angles to the rails and viewed fromthe left-hand side of Figure 2, across the hinge at the far end bogie inFigure 2.

Figure 4 shows details of the left-hand bogie structure (Figure 1) in asection through the line of the rails, viewed from the left-hand side inFigure 1.

Figure 5 shows a section through the clamping arrangement, at rightangles to the line of the rails, viewed from the left-hand side onFigure 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a machine embodying a modifiedform of the invention.

In the drawings 1 is one of the two rails along which the machine iscarried by two bogies 2, one at each end, Each bogie has two forwarddriven wheels 3 and one rearward trailing wheel 4. Between the twoforward wheels each bogie carries a hydraulic ram 5 and a clampingarrangement 6. The two bogies are connected by the bridge structure Iwhich is hinged to them by hinges 8 near the trailing wheels 4 and restswith its forward side on the rams 5. The bridge 3 structure carries aharrow 9 and transverse conveyor l at the forward side.

Referring now particularly to Figure 1, the wheels 3 are driven throughworm gearing by a shaft H driven through mitre gearing by the mainpropelling shaft I2 carried on the bridge I. The shaft l2 passes throughthe hinge 8 and is driven by motors M, M carried on the bridge. Themotor M which is equipped with a variable speed unit U can rotate theshaft l2 through gearing G in one direction to effect travel of themachine toward the pile, and the motor 1 is operable to propel themachine through its gearing G at a relatively high speed in eitherdirection. I3 is an electric-motor-driven oil pump arranged to pump oilto the rams through a feed pipe M.

Referring now particularly to Figures 2 and 3 for details of the hingearrangement, the hinge comprises a fixed hollow bearing sleeve 15 whichpasses through, and on which pivots, a hinge block 15 bolted to channelgirders H which form part of the floor of the bridge I. The sleeve I5 iscarried by the reinforced channel girders l3 which are fixed to a girderl9 forming part of the bogie structure. The propelling shaft i2 passesthrough the sleeve I5 and drives the shaft H through the mitre gearingarrangement 25 which is also bolted to the girder [9.

Referring now particularly to Figures 4 and 5 for details of the ram andclamping arrangement, the forward end of the girder IT has bolted to itthe ram head 21, which rests on the ram 5 bolted to the bogie girder 2,and passes between guides formed by the flanged upright girders 22welded to the bogie girder 2.

The girders 22 are joined at the top by channel girders 23 to which arewelded plates 24 which carry bearings, the lower one threaded, for ascrew bolt 25 adapted to be screwed down on to the girder if by means ofthe hand wheel 25. The girders 23 also have welded to them small uprightgirders 21 to which are fixed a switch 28 adapted to be operated by alever 29 carried by the screw bolt 25 when the latter has been screwedup a sufficient distance to allow the girder l1, and hence the wholebridge structure, to be rotated about the hinges 8 by the rams 5. Theswitch 28 is interlocked with the start ing circuit of the motor of thepump l3 so that this motor can only be started, and hence the rams 5operated, when the girders IT at each end of the bridge have beenunclamped by withdrawal of the screw bolts 21's.

The machine shown in Fig. 6 is substantially the same as that shown inFigs. 1-5, differing therefrom only in that the two bogies 2 areconnected by a frame 30 independent of the structure of which the harrow9 and transverse conveyor form part. The horizontal axis about whichsaid structure rotates is coincident with the propelling shaft l2 andthe hinge arrangement is similar to that described with reference toFigs. 2 and 3 save that the hollow bearing sleeve is carried by membersfixed to the frame 30. For convenience, the parts of the machine shownin Fig. 6 which are the same as the parts of the machine shown in Fig. lare denoted by the same reference characters.

I claim:

1. A machine for reclaiming ore or like material comprising a bridgecarried at each end on a bogie adapted to run on a rail, a harrowcarried by the bridge adapted to agitate the face of the pile againstwhich th machine i adapted to operate, a transverse conveyor carried byand running along the length of the bridge adapted to deliver into afixed conveyor by the side of the pile loosened material brought down bythe harrow, and means carried by the bridge for driving the said bogiesin either direction along the said rails, said machine being adapted toleave behind it a plane surface level with the bottom of the transverseconveyor from which an occasional lump or ridge projects and whichprevent the machine from being moved back, wherein the said harrow andtransverse conveyor are rotatable about a horizontal axis fixed relativeto the said bogies and comprising rotating means for rotating the saidharrow and transverse conveyor about the said axis so as to raise thebottom of the transverse conveyor above the position that it occupies innormal operation of the machine whereby to clear said lumps and ridgesand allow the machine to be moved back after reclaiming ore.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the said bogies are connectedby a frame, forming part of the said bridge, independent of thestructure of which the harrow and transverse conveyor form part andwherein the said rotating means rotates the said structure about an axisfixed relative to the said frame.

3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the said bogies are connectedonly through the said bridge and wherein the said rotating means rotatesthe entire bridge relative to the bogies.

4. A machine according to claim 1 comprising clamping means for fixingthe rotatable structure in the position that it occupies in normaloperation of the machine.

5. A machine for reclaiming ore or like material comprising a bridgecarried at each end on a bogie adapted to run on a rail, a harrowcarried by the bridge and adapted to agitate the face of the pileagainst which the machine is adapted to operate, a transverse conveyorcarried by and running along the length of the bridge adapted to deliverinto a fixed conveyor by the side of the pile loosened material broughtdown by the harrow, means carried by the bridge for driving the saidbogies in either direction along the said rails, said machine beingadapted to leave behind it a plane surface level with the bottom of thetransverse conveyor from which an occasional lump or ridge projects andwhich prevent the machine from being moved back, a pair of hydraulicrams one of which is carried by each bogie, wherein the said bridge isconnected to the said bogies only through hinges at the rearward side ofthe bridge and wherein the forward side of the bridge rests on the saidrams, and comprising means carried by the bridge for actuating said ramsso as to rotate the bridge about the said hinges and thereby lift thebottom of the transverse conveyor above the position that it occupies innormal operation of the machine so that it will clear the lumps andridges and thus permit the machine to be moved back after reclaimingore, and clamping means for fixing the bridge in the position that itoccupies in normal operation of the machine.

6. A machine for reclaiming ore or like material comprising a bridgecarried at each end on a bogie adapted to run on a rail, a harrowcarried by the bridge and adapted to agitate the face of the pileagainst which the machine is adapted to operate, a transverse conveyorcarried by and running along the length of the bridge adapted to deliverinto a fixed conveyor by the side of the pil loosened material broughtdown by the harrow, means carried by the bridge for driving the saidbogies in either direction along the said rails, said machine beingadapted to leave behind it a planesurface level with the bottom of thetransverse conveyor from which an occasional lump or ridge projects andwhich prevent the machine from being moved back, a pair of hydraulicrams one of which is carried by each bogie, wherein the said bridge isconnected to the said bogies only through hinges at the rearward side ofthe bridge and wherein the forward side of the bridge rests on the saidrams and comprising means carried by the bridge for actuating said ramsso as to rotate the bridge about the said hinges and thereby lift thebottom of the transverse conveyor above the position that it occupies innormal operation of the machine so that it will clear the lumps andridges and thus permit the machine to be moved back after reclaimingore.

7. A machine for reclaiming ore or lik material oomprising a bridgecarried at each end on a bogie adapted to run on a rail, a harrowcarried by the bridge and adapted to agitate the fac of the pile againstwhich the machine is adapted to operate, a transverse conveyor carriedby and runnin along the length of the bridge adapted to deliver into afixed conveyor by the side of the pil loosened material brought down bythe barrow, means carried by the bridge for driving the said bogies ineither direction along the said rails, said machine being adapted toleave behind it a plan surface level with the bottom of the transverseconveyor from which an occasional lump or ridge projects and whichprevent the machine from being moved back, a pair of hydraulic rams oneof which is carried by each bogie, wherein the said bridge is connectedto the said bogies only through hinges at the rearward side of thebridge and wherein the forward side of the bridge rests on the said ramsand comprising means carried by the bridge for actuating said rams so asto rotate the bridge about the said hinges and thereby lift the bottomof the transverse conveyor above the position that it occupies in normaloperation of the machine so that it will clear the lumps and ridges andthus permit the machine to be moved back after reclaiming ore, clampingmeans for fixing the bridge in the position that it occupies in normaloperation of the machine and interlocking means interlocking the saidclamping means and means for actuating the said rams so that the ramscan only be actuated when the clamping is released.

8. A machine for reclaiming ore or like material comprising a bridgecarried at each end on a bogie adapted to run on a, rail, a harrowcarried by the bridge and adapted to agitate the face of the pileagainst which the machine is adapted to operate, a transverse conveyorcarried by and running along the length of the bridge adapted to deliverinto a fixed conveyor by the side of the pile loosened material broughtdown by the harrow, means carried by the bridge for driving the saidbogies in either direction along the said rails, said machine beingadapted to leave behind it a plane surface level with the bottom of thetransverse conveyor from which an occasional lump or ridge projects andwhich prevent the machine from being moved back, a pair of hydraulicrams one of which is carried by each bogie, wherein the said bridge isconnected to the said bogies only through hinges at the rearward side ofthe bridge and wherein the forward side of the bridge rests on the saidrams and comprising an electric-motor-driven oil pump carried by thebridge for actuating said rams so as to rotate the bridge about the saidhinges and thereby lift the bottom of the transverse conveyor above theposition that it occupies in normal operation of the machine So that itwill clear the lumps and ridges and thus permit the machine to be movedback after reclaiming ore, clamping means for fixing th bridg in theposition that it occupies in normal operation, and a switch operated bythe said clamping means and electrically interlocked with the startingcircuit of the said pump motor so that said motor can only be startedwhen the clamping is released.

LOUIS CHARLES WREN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,265,131 .Stamp May 7, 19181,583,665 Cox May 4, 1926 1,966,459 Osgood July 17, 1934 2,017,005 LevinOct, 8, 1935

